Turning to historian for the real Boardwalk Empire' talk

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerAtlantic City historian Vicki Gold Levi in the Ladies Lounge of the Knife & Fork Inn, a former men's club and speakeasy frequented by Enoch "Nucky" Johnson. The stained glass windows are original to the building when it was constructed in 1912.

She helped write the definitive history of her hometown, “Atlantic City: 125 Years of Ocean Madness”; her father was the city’s official photographer from 1939 to 1964, and she was Bess Myerson’s page in 1945 when Myerson became Miss America. She also is co-curator of photography at the Atlantic City Historical Museum and directed its award-winning video, “Boardwalk Ballyhoo.” She’s acted as a consultant on several films chronicling the seaside resort, including “Atlantic City,” “Beaches” and “The Lemmon Sisters.” By age 5, she had her own local radio show — and it was nothing for her to have dinner with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. when they headlined Atlantic City nightclubs in its heyday. Anyone who knows Atlantic City knows that Vicki Gold Levi is the authority on the world-famous resort. And it was Gold Levi whom Edward McGinty Jr., head research adviser on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” turned to when it was time to re-create the look and feel of Atlantic City during Prohibition. “I was the researcher and Vicki was a historical consultant,” says McGinty, who also is an Atlantic City native. “Her book was the first I read about Atlantic City. It was my basis for its history. She is the Atlantic City expert.” “I had looked through her book many times as a kid,” McGinty says. “My mom had brought it home from the Miss America Pageant, where she was working as a hostess. It was the first book I’d ever seen with pictures of old Atlantic City, and it began my fascination with the history of the city.” Although his research was culled from a variety of sources, McGinty says, “She’s the one I would consult for photos and when questions came up. She’s been the go-to person for historical consultants.” “They (the production team) might ask me about fashion,” Gold Levi says. “They had their own fashion designer, but I had actual pictures of people on the boardwalk then. Everyone didn’t have on something they bought in 1920 — real people also had on clothing from 1918 and 1919.” Gold Levi says some things used in the series were not completely historically accurate, like the boardwalk being reconstructed at 45 feet wide instead of 60 feet, and Babette’s Supper Club being one of the festive sites for the action. “It had a bar shaped like the bow of a boat,” Gold Levi says. “It really wasn’t around then. (Babette’s opened in 1927.) I think it was used because it was sexy and had a wonderful name, and was period.” The show is “not a documentary, so I could go with that flow,” she says. “I was thrilled with the results.”